A Summer Place
by csmamj
Summary: The 2nd Installment of the Lonnie and Monica Saga: Monica is coming home for fall break and Lonnie can't wait! But he's about to learn that true love has its price. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

A Summer Place

Chapter 1

Althea Tibbs and Etta Kibbey were sitting on the front porch of the Tibbs' house on Elm Street. Althea had just received a letter from Monica Styles, a former student of hers that was now in college in North Carolina.

"Can you believe it, Etta? She asked. "Monica's been gone for 18 months. She's a second semester college freshman now."

Etta didn't look up from her sewing when she responded, "How old is that child now?"

"She was 17 this past April."

"I'm mighty proud of that girl, the way she grew herself up and made something of herself, in spite of what she come from," Etta said. "When she 'gon come back here for a visit?"

Althea folded the letter and took a quick peek into the yard to check on the twins, who were now two years old.

"She'll be here by the end of the week for fall break. She'll be staying with us since her house is rented out."

Etta smiled. She remembered the few weeks Monica had stayed with them before she left for school. Etta had really enjoyed having the girl around.

"Well, I reckon I ought to get myself on in here and start making out a grocery list, since we 'gon have one more mouth to feed. Uh, before I go, Althea, there's something I need you to help me wit, if you don't mind to."

XXX

Meanwhile, back at the Sparta City Police station, Lt. Lonnie Jamison was breaking his neck to get off duty. His shift ended 15 minutes ago, and he was eager to start his vacation.

"Uh, Lonnie?" Parker called, just as Lonnie was headed towards the door. Standing behind Parker were a snickering Bubba Skinner and a grinning Luann Corbin.

"What now, Parker?"

"Uh, me and Bubba was just saying how we'd be happy to drive you to the airport. Help you with your bags. Keep you company in the ticket line while you're waiting to go to…where did you say you was going?"

"I didn't, Parker."

"Now that is true, Parker," Bubba chimmed in. "Lonnie never did tell us where it was he was going. And I say a man has every right to fly off to….uh, where was it again, Lonnie?"

"Wrong question, Captain." Luann interrupted, "I think you meant 'who' was it."

"Come on, guys. Just let me go in peace, will you?"

At the moment, Bubba and Luann burst out into laughter. They had all seen Lonnie's vacation schedule on the calendar, but he had not mentioned one word about it plans to anyone. So when Fedex delivered a package from Jackson City Airport to him at the station, it threw everybody off. Exactly what was the man up to?

"See," Parker said, sounding completely exasperated. "I told ya'll we wouldn't get nothing out of him."

"Get what out of whom?" Virgil had just come from the evidence room.

"Nothing, Virgil." Lonnie responded.

"We were just trying to figure out where Lt. Jamison here was going on vacation, that's all," Parker said.

"Well, Parker, I'd have to say that Lt. Jamison won't be going anywhere if you continue to block the man's path. Lonnie, get out of here and enjoy yourself," Virgil said.

"Thank you…VIRGIL." Lonnie cut his eyes at Parker, Bubba, and Luann and left the police station followed by gales of laughter.

At that moment the telephone rang.

"Sparta PD, Corbin here," Luann answered. "Oh, hey, Mrs. Tibbs! He's right here."

Luann looked at Virgil who signaled to her to forward the call to him and Chief Gillespie's office. He waved good morning to Chief Gillespie and answered the phone.

"Oh, she is? That's wonderful! Friday? I can't wait to see her. Of course, it is. Okay. Yes. Me too, honey."

After Virgil hung up the phone, he sat down at his desk and started going through some paperwork.

"I take it that was Althea?" Chief Gillespie asked.

"Yes. Yes, it was. She was calling to tell me that Monica Styles was coming home for fall break. She'll be here on Friday and is going to be staying for us for a week."

"Styles, Styles. Where do I know that name from?"

Virgil reminded Chief Gillespie of the murder and attempted robbery case, and of Monica's mother, Elise.

"Oh, yes. Elise Styles. You know, I remember that woman from years ago. I arrested one of her boyfriends right there in her house, a house a different boyfriend had bought for her I might add. She couldn't have been more than 19 or 20 at the time. After the bust, you know what I said to her?"

Virgil sighed. He felt one Chief Gillespie's infamous stories coming. "What Chief?"

"I said, 'Elise, you're young, you're pretty, you're smart. Now, every time one of these here conmen wants to spend time with you, I want you to ask yourself this question'. You know what question I told her to ask herself, Virgil?"

By this time, Virgil had closed his eyes in silent prayer for the ending of this story. "What question, Chief?"

"I told her to ask herself 'Why would a man buy the cow if he's getting the milk for free?' And you know what Elise said?"

By now Virgil couldn't speak anymore, he just raised both of his eyebrows and threw his hands in the air, gesturing to Chief Gillespie to hurry up.

"She said 'the same reason a woman would buy a whole pig just to get a little sausage, I suppose.' Know what I did then, Virgil?" Chief Gillespie asked as he stood up from behind his desk and headed towards the door.

"What did you do, Chief?"

Chief Gillespie turned around and looked at Virgil like he was crazy. "I left, of course."

And with that, Chief Gillespie was gone, and Virgil was sure that the man had taken just a little bit more of his sanity with him.

XXX

Lonnie was finally on the road and, as his co-workers had mentioned, on his way to the airport. But they were way off as to why he was going. The ticket that arrived at the police station wasn't for him, but for the woman he was going to pick-up at Jackson City Airport.

Lonnie and Monica Styles had established their relationship over a year ago, right after her 16th birthday. Under normal circumstances, this pairing would've been illegal as well as an affront to society. However, their circumstances were far from normal. Monica was an academic genius, legally emancipated at age 15, and was mature enough to handle a relationship with an older man. Truth be told, adults were about the only people Monica could relate to as she never knew her father and her mother never took the time to raise her.

Even with these understandable factors, Monica and Lonnie had kept their feelings for each other a secret for two reasons. One, because Lonnie was a police officer, their seeing each went against the city's code of ethics, even though she was emancipated. Second, because Monica was black and from the Bottoms, their relationship went against the city's code of life.

They were very much in love with each other, but when Monica was offered a full scholarship to a school in North Carolina, Lonnie made her go, even though it hurt him, because it was best for her. The night before Monica left for school, they had made love to each other for the first time. They had been each others' first; Lonnie was her first lover and Monica was the first woman he ever loved. They had written to each other constantly over the past year and a half. And finally, she was coming home for a visit.

Lonnie parked his corvette, and ran inside the airport, bobbing and weaving between would-be passengers, trying to find Gate 15-B.

"_Great," he thought. "I haven't seen her in over a year, and I'm already going to get cussed out!"_

Lonnie finally found the right boarding gate and looked hurriedly through the crowd. Then…he saw her.

Monica was more beautiful now than she was when she left. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts, sneakers, and T-shirt that read 'NC Girls _Rock_!' The white shirt seemed to gleam against her ebony brown skin and the shorts were long enough to be appropriate, but short enough to show off her muscular legs and thighs. Lonnie thought she looked amazing. She was standing up, with one hand on her hip, her head cocked to one side and a look on her face that read 'I'm not happy right now.' Lonnie decided to tease her. He leaned up against one of the large windows, crossed his arms and waited for her to spot him.

When she did see him, she waited a moment, and then did a slow stroll across the aisle to where he was perched. When she was standing directly in front of him, she greeted him with, "You're late."

Lonnie noticed the little smile she was trying to hide.

"Yeah?" he started as he got up from the window sill and brushed her hair out of her face. "You _still_ need a comb."

Monica laughed and jumped into Lonnie's arms. It felt so good to hold each other again that neither of them said another word for a full five minutes. Lonnie pulled her back so that he could look at her. _'Stunning!'_ he thought. Then, he kissed her forehead and took her left hand. He noticed something bright and shiny on her wrist and smiled.

"I see you're still wearing it."

Monica looked down at the small silver charm bracelet on her wrist. It had been her going away gift from Lonnie. Dangling from the delicate chain was a small silver charm, a heart, and Lonnie's way of saying 'I love you' one last time before she left.

"I've never taken it off."

Monica felt herself getting teary eyed and decided that they should get going before they both started crying in the middle of the airport. They got her luggage and headed for the parking deck. When Lonnie opened the trunk, Monica noticed the black keychain she had given him before she left. It had a corvette symbol on the front and his initials were engraved on the back. She also spotted the Fedex package and began to laugh hysterically. Finally, Lonnie couldn't refrain any longer and he too started laughing.

"Okay, LJ. How bad was it?" Monica asked between tears of amusement. "LJ" had been her private nickname for him since the day the two had first met.

"Well, let's just say I'm not the only person in this relationship who could be a detective. Your plan worked. The entire Sparta City Police department thinks I'm flying off somewhere. Luann was the only one close; she guessed I was going to see a woman. Here."

Lonnie handed her the package that contained her return ticket back to North Carolina.

"You better put this in one of your bags there so you don't you lose it."

After Monica zipped her bag closed, Lonnie grabbed her, put his arms around her and gave her a long, throaty kiss.

"I can't wait to get to New Orleans. We've got over a year's worth of catching up to do in about 3 days."

Monica kissed him back, and then smiled slyly. "I was thinking that we had over a year's worth of sex to have. But catching up works, too."

Lonnie's jaw dropped to the ground as Monica giggled and got into his car.

XXX

Back at the Tibbs', Aunt Etta had told Althea what she needed help with. Apparently she owned a small place near Brewer's Pond. It had been left to her by her late husband, Marcus, and had been standing empty for a while now. It was nothing special, just a basic double wide trailer. Etta had planned for her nephew, Tyrell, to live there. But Tyrell was now in prison and Etta wanted Althea to help her find someone to rent it.

"Now, I know it ain't much." The old woman said. "And I ain't expecting much. Most folks don't weekend at Brewer's no more; they all heads out to Purvis Lake now. But if you know somebody who just wants a nice, quiet place, just to get away to every now and again, it sure would help me with a little extra mad money."

Althea was listening as she was trying to fix lunch before the twins woke up from their nap.

"Well, I'll ask around. But why don't you ask Virgil? I'm sure he's more likely to find someone with that type of need than I will. Maybe one of the guys. You know, they don't make enough money to afford places at Purvis."

"That may well be. But I don't want Virgil in this. He 'mo likely to tell me what to do than to get what I want done."

Althea laughed because Etta was right. Virgil meant well, but sometimes he had a habit of treating Etta like a child. And for a woman with Etta's strong personality, it normally caused a heated family argument.

"Okay, Aunt Etta. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Althea. Now let me get myself on off to the grocery. It's going on four o'clock. And you know how I hates being out too late."

Althea laughed as Etta left, thinking how ridiculous it was that the woman still believed that all ladies should be at home by 5pm, unless of course they were out with a male family member!

'_Whew,'_ she thought as she collapsed into the living room chair. '_I didn't realize how badly I needed fall break to be here. The next two weeks are going to be great.'_

All of a sudden, Althea realized what she had just said to herself. She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out Monica's letter. The girl had said specifically that fall break would begin for her at the _end _of this week, and had reiterated that when she called this morning to tell Althea what time on Friday to pick her up at the airport.

'_Our schedules may be off by a few days or so, but by an entire week?'_ Althea thought.

Then she remembered Virgil warning her that he may be pulling some late nights this week because Lonnie would be on vacation. He had even mentioned that Lonnie had excellent timing since he too was on break from law school and would be able to handle the extra work.

Suddenly, Althea clapped her hands and laughed out loud.

"Way to go, Lonnie and Monica!" she said to the walls.

Just as quickly as she had begun to smile, a look of exasperation came across Althea's face. All of her noise had woken up the twins.

"I'm coming guys!" she called as she walked upstairs. _'Well,'_ she thought as she rounded the upstairs corner and entered the kids' nursery. _'At least I've got someone to rent Etta's trailer. Because when, and I do mean WHEN, Virgil figures this out, Monica and Lonnie won't be able to pull this off again.'_

XXX

Virgil couldn't believe it. He was actually getting to leave work at 6pm, even with

Jamison's extra cases. Just as he was about to bid 'good-night' to Chief Gillespie, Bubba came in.

"Uh, Virgil, you might want to hang on there for a minute." Bubba said.

"Good Lord, Bubba. What is it now?" Chief Gillespie asked.

"Well, sir, DA Darnelle just came in and asked about seeing the both of you. Something about a dinner party for him on Saturday night?"

"Oh, yes, yes. Harriet mentioned that to me at dinner last week. Go on and show the man in, Bubba."

Virgil looked confused. "A dinner party? For Darnelle?"

Chief Gillespie took off his glasses and answered. "It's some little get together the City Council planned for him. Sort of a pre-endorsement party, if you will. But you don't know about that. The endorsement part is, uh, on a need to know basis."

Virgil grinned at Chief Gillespie. "Then how is that you know about it and I didn't?"

"Well now, Virgil, I am Chief Gillespie of Police here in Sparta, though you tend to forget that from time to time. Therefore I need to know everything that happens around here. But you? You are hard at work! On your way to becoming a magnificent and brilliant attorney; which of course means… you ALREADY know everything."

Virgil cracked up laughing in spite of himself. Just as he was beginning to collect himself, DA Darnelle entered their office.

"Did I miss something?" he asked with a smile.

"No," Virgil said, still laughing a bit. "Just more of the Chief's pearls of wisdom."

"Ah!" Darnelle replied.

"What can we do for you on this fine, yet late, evening, Mr. Darnelle?" Chief Gillespie asked.

Darnelle caught the Chief's implication and got right to the point.

"I only came by to hand deliver your tickets for the dinner party this Saturday night. And Virgil, here are yours."

"Thank you, Gerard." Virgil said.

Darnelle said 'good evening' and was just about to go, when Virgil stopped him.

"Oh, Gerard! I almost forgot. Monica is coming into Sparta on Friday. She'll be staying with me and Althea if you want to see her while she's here."

"Of course, I do. And thank you for telling me. How long will she be here for?"

"For a week. She's spending her fall break here."

Darnelle laughed. "I see that she's gotten into the swing of college life pretty quickly."

"I don't get your meaning." Virgil said.

"Virgil, Salem College's fall break officially started this past weekend, not next week. My niece goes there and she headed down to Florida yesterday. My brother said she pulled out of the driveway so fast, that all he saw was the back end of her BMW and a glimpse of his credit card shining between her teeth! It sounds like our Monica is making a little pit stop before she gets here!"


	2. Chapter 2

A Summer Place

Chapter 2

Lonnie and Monica were having a great time in New Orleans. They went to dinner as soon as they arrived and Monica talked the entire time. She explained to Lonnie how at the end of this semester, she would be a sophomore. She planned on attending at least one summer session so that by this time next year, she would be a junior and eligible to apply for internships. Her major was Interior Design and since Salem College was so close to the High Point, NC furniture market, she couldn't wait to start using everything she had learned in school.

Although she hadn't changed too much, Lonnie did notice one change. She was more talkative than she used to be and not quite as catty. She was still as sarcastic as ever, but her comments were humorous and weren't laced with the hatefulness that she was famous for in Sparta. In short, Monica had matured while she was away. She was absolutely charming, and Lonnie loved it.

Lonnie rented a suite for the two of them, complete with a bedroom fireplace and a balcony that overlooked the river. They made love by the fireplace and laughed at themselves the next morning for not even making it to the king sized bed. While Lonnie took his turn in the shower, Monica went out to the balcony and sipped on the Mimosa she had ordered.

When he finished in the bathroom, Lonnie joined Monica on the balcony and spotted her drink. He didn't say anything, but Monica could tell it bothered him. She knew it wasn't her age; he had to know that she knew how to handle herself. And since he occasionally had a beer or two himself, she was a little confused by his reaction. But then she remembered his alcoholic mother, and thought that the sight of her drinking might have reminded him of his childhood. She poured the drink out over the balcony, and held him close to her as a silent apology.

As usual, no words were needed between them. Lonnie kissed her and then smiled his 'thank you' at her, elated to find that the separation had not stopped their ability to read each other to perfection. He sat down on one of the lounge chairs, and pulled her onto his lap.

"So, what does Miss Monica want to do today?"

"Anything as long as it's with you."

Lonnie laughed. "So I see you passed your Public Relations class!"

"Okay, okay. You caught me. But if I tell you, you'll think it's silly."

"Try me."

Monica looked at Lonnie for a moment before she spoke again. "Do you know what I did for the first time when I got to North Carolina?"

Lonnie shook his head, letting her know that he had no idea.

"I went to the park and went swinging. Can you believe that? In my whole life, I had never been on a swing. So now, I finally know what I want to be when I grow up."

Lonnie ran his fingers lovingly down the side of her face. "What's that?"

A small tear rolled down Monica's face as she responded. "A child. I'd like to have a chance to be a child for a while."

Lonnie kissed the eye that had shed the tear. He pulled her farther onto his lap and Monica rested her head on his shoulder.

"Okay, honey. Then that's what we'll do. We'll spend the rest our time here doing exactly what you want no matter how silly it sounds. We'll play until your heart's content."

"Can we go down to the playground?"

Lonnie smiled; then suddenly he pushed her off of his lap and ran back inside. "Last one down's a rotten egg!" he called as she saw him run through the living room, grab the keys and his wallet, and then open the door to the suite.

Monica screamed when she realized what he was doing. She ran after him, giggling all the way. Their laughter filled the hallway and caused a few people to open their doors, as they pushed, shoved, and even tried to trip each other to be the first one to the elevator.

XXX

It was Thursday morning, and Virgil and Althea were having breakfast. Althea had expected Virgil to have figured out that Lonnie and Monica were together, but so far he had said nothing. Althea figured that he had finally decided to leave it alone, so she didn't bring it up. But she was wrong.

Virgil had indeed figured it out, with a little help from an unsuspecting Darnelle. The situation had bothered him so much that when the Chief asked Bubba to drive to Jackson to try and rush a lab report, Virgil offered to do it instead. He said it would give him a chance to check his mailbox at school, but Virgil had really driven to the airport to do some digging. He was puzzled by what he found; or rather, what he didn't find. He didn't see Jamison's car. And that's why he hadn't said anything to Althea yet. Something was definitely up; he just hadn't figured it out yet. On top of that, Lonnie had arrived back in Sparta late yesterday evening. He had dropped by the station, indicating that he felt bad for taking so much time off and that he wanted to know if Virgil needed him to come back in early.

"Honey?" Althea said and waited for a response. "Virgil!"

Virgil suddenly snapped back into focus. "I'm sorry, babe. What were you saying?"

"I was asking if you'd be around for lunch today. Etta's taking the twins with her to a church meeting and I thought we could grab some one on one time."

"I'm not sure. But if you're in town, stop by the station. If I'm there and can sneak out, maybe you and I can sneak back here!"

At that moment, one of the twins started screaming for her. Althea looked at Virgil and said, "I think we'd better stick to lunch."

Virgil laughed as Althea went to get the baby.

XXX

Lonnie had indeed arrived back in Sparta yesterday evening at around 5pm. That was part two of Monica's plan. She figured that if she and Lonnie arrived in town at the same time, then Virgil's suspicions would be confirmed.

Virgil had suspected their relationship and questioned Lonnie about it last year. Lonnie didn't tell Monica at the time, but he let her know a few months back in one of his letters since it appeared that the Tibbs' were becoming her part-time family.

They had driven back into Jackson early yesterday and checked Monica into her hotel. Lonnie didn't like leaving her there by herself, but he knew it had to be done. They spent all day together Wednesday, and then Lonnie hit the road back to Sparta. Monica would show up at the airport, with luggage in hand, to meet Althea on Friday.

Lonnie decided he would spend the day getting his car checked. He had put a lot of miles on it in the past few days and it could probably stand an oil change. He handed his keys to the attendant and went to the waiting room.

"Well, hello stranger!" Lonnie looked up and saw Althea Tibbs.

"Hey there, Mrs. Tibbs. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. So…how was your vacation?"

Lonnie smiled slightly. Monica told him that Althea had questioned her last year as well, but according to Monica, Althea seemed to silently approve. But still, he decided to be careful with his answer.

"Just fine, ma'am."

Althea waited for Lonnie to say more, although she knew that he wouldn't, and decided to sit down. Lonnie waited for her to seat herself first, and then he took a seat beside her.

"You know, Lonnie. I'm glad I ran into you. I have something to talk to you about, but I wanted to do it privately."

Lonnie felt his insides crawl. _'Not here!'_ He thought.

"Virgil's Aunt Etta has an empty trailer at Brewer's Pond she wants to rent out. It's no great shakes. But it's clean, it's efficient, and…it's very private. So when she asked me to find someone to rent it, I thought of you."

Lonnie still didn't speak. He was a little confused, but didn't want to show it. He simply nodded his head and waited for Althea to finish.

"I know you don't go on vacation that much, but I think her place would be perfect for short, local get-a-ways..every once in a while."

Althea looked away from Lonnie and started sipping on her coffee. She wanted to give Lonnie time to see where she was headed. Finally Lonnie spoke.

"So…how much is Mrs. Kibbey looking to for?"

XXX

Monica jumped out of the cab with her bags, and stood outside of the entrance to Jackson City Airport. A couple of valets stared at her, because she didn't go in. But Monica just ignored them. Finally, she saw Mrs. Tibbs' car pull up.

"Oh my gosh! You look great!" Mrs. Tibbs cried from the window. She got out and helped Monica load her luggage into the trunk.

"So do you. Wow! Look at the twins! They're huge now!" Monica spent a few minutes playing with the toddlers and finally got into the car.

On the drive back to Sparta, Monica filled Althea in on everything with school, including her plan to be a junior within the next year and a half.

"You and your plans." Althea laughed. "Do you have any other plans, like after graduation?"

"No, I don't." Monica responded sarcastically, yet with a smile in her voice. She knew what Althea was asking, and Althea knew that she knew. The two of them had developed a way of discussing Lonnie without actually mentioning the relationship.

"I'm taking things slowly and enjoying what's here now. What's around at graduation, well, I'm leaving that up to Fate."

Althea smiled, satisfied with the answer. She was happy that Lonnie and Monica were involved, but since Lonnie was almost 31, she was concerned that he may be pushing her to commit to marriage. She was glad to hear that he was giving Monica room and time to find herself.

They finally arrived at the house. Virgil was home and came to the car to greet them.

"Hello, Ms. Styles!" he exclaimed and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was your flight?"

"Fine, Mr. Tibbs. Thank you for asking."

They got Monica's things into the house and Althea offered to fix everyone some coffee. Of course, Aunt Etta insisted that she help. When the two ladies got into the kitchen, Althea handed Etta an envelope.

"What's this here?" Etta asked.

"It's $75. I rented your trailer for the entire week starting on Monday."

"Lord, Thea. How'd you do it so quick?"

Althea smiled. "It appears that Virgil isn't the only Tibbs with connections. Now put that in your pocket before he sees it."

When they returned to the living room, it appeared that Monica and Virgil had reached some sort of agreement.

"Okay, you two. What's going on?" Althea asked.

"Good news, honey." Virgil said. "Monica's willing to keep the twins tomorrow night so we can attend Gerards' dinner."

"Oh Monica, thank you so much. With Etta committed to her church function, we were stuck."

"No problem. I love kids. And I can't wait to get to know Billy and Sarah again."

XXX

Monday turned out to be one of those days that Lonnie couldn't wait to leave the station. Sweet was in a pissy mood over the bust the two of them had made two days ago, on Saturday night. Two drunken fools had disrupted Gerard's dinner, and the Chief called in and told the boys to pick them up. One thing led to another, and now Sweet was being investigated for soliciting a bribe. Lonnie felt bad, but the investigation had to be done. Sweet's biggest gripe was that he was asked to take a lie detector test. Now, he was snapping at everybody. Lonnie couldn't wait to meet Monica at the trailer.

When he arrived, he noticed Mrs. Tibbs car in the driveway. He went into the trailer, and found Monica cooking in the kitchen.

"Hi, babe." She greeted. "Ooh. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lonnie said as he sat down on the old couch.

Normally, Monica would tease him about lying to her, but he looked really torn up about something. Instead, she reached into the refrigerator and took out a beer. Monica smiled to herself as she thought of Lonnie's reaction to her drinking, yet he didn't seem to have a problem with doing it himself. She chalked it up to his mother being a woman and good old southern chauvinism. They would definitely have to discuss this, but not now. She opened the beer and brought it to him. After mussing his hair lightly and kissing his cheek, she went back into the kitchen to finish their mid-afternoon supper.

After about 30 minutes, Lonnie came into kitchen. "Smells good."

"Thanks. You ready to eat or do you need a few more minutes?"

"Actually, I'm starving."

The two sat down at the cheap table to eat. After a few bites, Lonnie filled Monica in on the situation with Sweet.

"The worst part is that this Pinkney guy is saying the only reason we picked him up is because the Chief called. AND that the only reason the Chief called is because the guy said something hateful about Harriet."

"And I suppose the 'something hateful' had to do with Ms. Delong being black and dating Chief Gillespie."

Lonnie lowered his eyes as he answered the question. "Yes."

Monica reached across the table for Lonnie's hand. "LJ. Don't. If we're going to be together we're not only going to have learn to deal with it, but we have to be able to discuss it, too. Besides, I've been black my whole life. There's nothing you can say that I haven't heard before."

Lonnie nodded his head in understanding and continued. "Pinkney is willing to drop his solicitation claim if Sweet drops his charges against him. Otherwise the Chief and Harriet are in for a long ride."

"Wow." Monica now saw that Lonnie was once again at a crossroads with his black and white view of the world. The guy was guilty, so in Lonnie's world, that was that. This situation had a lot of gray areas, and that was not Lonnie's favorite place to be. And of course, he hated seeing Sweet upset.

Finally Monica spoke up. "Why don't we have Sweet over here on Wednesday? I'll cook my famous baked spaghetti and he can unload while you guys figure this thing out."

Lonnie looked up in shock. "Have Sweet here, with us?"

"Sure. He already knows anyway. Right?"

Lonnie was dumbfounded, but he knew better than to try to hide the fact that Sweet knew about the two of them. He had not told Monica about Sweet's confronting him last year, so he was really confused. "How did you know?"

Monica just shook her head and smiled. "Sweet is just as intuitive as you are. And since the two of you are friends, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he figured it out. Besides, I would've told my closest friend…if I had one besides you."

They cleared the table together and Lonnie washed the dishes since Monica had prepared the meal. She was waiting for him outside on the porch. He sat down beside of her and held her hand, like he used to do at her house in the Bottoms.

"This thing with Sweet, Chief Gillespie, and Ms. Delong…what do you think about it, LJ?"

"It's bad for everybody involved."

"No, I mean the part about the Chief and Harriet. Have you thought about….I mean, what if that were us? Would you have called the guys on Pinkney if he had disrespected me? Would you want Sweet to drop the charges? And as his friend, would you feel badly for inadvertently putting him in the situation to begin with? What you would do if you were in the Chief's shoes?"

Lonnie squeezed her hand, looked down at his feet, then back up at her. "I've thought about all of that, Monica."

"And?"

"I don't know the answer to any of those questions. And that bothers the hell out of me. I know I should know, but I don't."

He let go of her hand, stood up, and looked up at the sky. "I honestly don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

A Summer Place

Chapter 3

Virgil arrived at the police station around 8:30am. When he walked into the lobby, he noticed a frustrated Parker behind the front desk, going through some files.

"Good morning, Parker." Virgil said.

"Oh. Good morning, Detective."

"What is it? Luann and Bubba out on a call you wanted to take?"

Parker sighed. "No, sir. It's all this mess right here. I tell ya, Detective. Why is it that every time the clerk's office is short staffed, we end up with all their clerical work?"

Virgil laughed. "What is this time? Another job application shift?"

"Not this time, thank goodness. They're behind on collecting property taxes on some of the older properties in Sparta. Most of the owners have died and the places belong to relatives that don't even know they own them."

"Ah." Virgil said. "And they need our help in tracking down the owners AND collecting the taxes."

"Tally-ho!" Parker exclaimed.

Virgil smiled. "It's 'Bingo!' Parker. 'Bingo'."

"That's right. Lonnie's told me that a million times. You know, Detective? Sometimes I just tickle myself!"

Virgil laughed and went into his office.

"Well, good morning." Chief Gillespie greeted him. "Nice of you to join us."

"I apologize Chief, but your God-children…well, let's just say that they have a mind of their own!"

"Don't all Tibbs'?" Chief Gillespie asked. "Speaking of which, what does your own mind tell you we ought to do about this Pinkney case?"

"I don't know, Chief. Pinkney passing that lie detector test didn't help Sweet at all. But Lonnie's got Parker doing some checking into Pinkney and his friend. We may come up with something."

About that time, Parker walked into the office with a huge grin on his face. He stood there for a while, with Virgil and Chief Gillespie staring at him. Finally Chief Gillespie asked, "Can we do something for you, Parker?"

"No, sir. I just came to congratulate the Detective here."

For some reason, Virgil waited for the explanation he knew he wouldn't get. Finally, he sighed and then asked, "Congratulations on what, Parker?"

"Your inheritance."

"My WHAT?"

"Well, I was going through these old property files and it looks like your Aunt Etta owns some property on Brewer's Pond."

"Really?" Virgil seemed surprised. "I never knew that. I wonder why?"

"Well, Detective. Back before Purvis Lake was built up, Brewer's Pond was THE romantic spot here in Sparta. Maybe your Uncle Marcus and your Aunt Etta kept it to themselves for uh, their private time."

Chief Gillespie lowered his head so Virgil wouldn't see him laughing. Virgil just shut his eyes and shuddered at the thought of his Aunt Etta even needing 'private time'.

"Anyway, it looks like your Aunt Etta had forgotten about it for a while. The taxes were pretty backed up."

"Let me see that, Parker. Wow, she got behind by a couple of years. What's this entry here?"

Parker walked behind the Detective's desk and took a look. "Oh, that's a recent payment. It looks like she's getting it taken care of. I'm glad, too. I'm supposed to serve papers of tax lien on properties we can't collect on."

Parker left and Virgil sat in silence, tapping his pencil on his desk.

"What's the matter, Virgil?" Chief Gillespie asked.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Because every time something's weighing heavy on your mind, you go to tapping your pencil on your desk. And rather loudly, too, I might add."

Virgil looked down and noticed that he was indeed tapping his pencil.

"I was just wondering why the papers on Etta's property at Brewer's Pond weren't included in any of the files I went through for her when she moved in with us. I'm also wondering why she didn't tell me about it herself."

"Oh. Well now, Virgil, I believe I know the answer to that last question."

"Really? What is it?"

Chief Gillespie put on his glasses and began reading the paper. "She didn't want you to know about it."

XXX

It was around one o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. Lonnie and Sweet were down at the pond fishing, while Monica was cooking her baked spaghetti. Both of the guys were going into the station at four, and Monica wanted them to have a real meal on their stomachs.

As the guys were coming back up to the trailer, Monica noticed the empty bucket.

"Hey! Where's dinner?"

Lonnie laughed. "They weren't biting today. I think all the fish knew we had something better waiting on us in the kitchen."

"Yeah," Sweet said. "At least somebody around here knows what's going on."

"Come on, man. Parker's bound to turn up something. I just know it."

Monica sensed the tension building back up and tried to lighten things up.

"All right, Frick and Frack. You can talk shop later. Right now, lunch is on the table."

The three of them headed into the trailer and sat down to eat.

"Oh Monica! I ran into Jimmy Dawes the other day. He told me to tell you 'Hi'." Sweet said.

"And how is my dear old Uncle Jimmy?" she asked with a smile.

Lonnie spoke next. "According to Sweet, he's working on a new record."

Monica looked confused and both men started laughing.

"Yeah," Sweet said. "He's gone about six months without getting busted for anything."

They were all laughing when Lonnie remembered what Monica had just said. He wanted to ask her about it, but it involved her estranged mother who had been killed by her boyfriend's partner a few years back. He approached his question carefully, so as not to hurt her feelings. "I caught that 'Uncle Jimmy' a minute ago. I thought your mother only went with men who had money. No disrespect, of course."

Monica waved her hand at Lonnie, her way of telling him not to worry. "It is what it is, LJ. That's her shame, not mine."

"Anyway," she continued. "My mother was definitely a wallet chaser. But she believed in keeping what she called a spare tire. That was Jimmy. He was the one she hung out with when she was between money bags."

Sweet laughed. "You know, in her own way, your mother was a smart woman. She just didn't know it."

"I think you're right, Sweet. She didn't realize that I was smart, either. If it wasn't for Jimmy, I wouldn't be where I am now."

Lonnie and Sweet looked at each other, and then turned to stare at Monica.

"Hon, do you mean to say that Jimmy Dawes was your mentor while you were growing up?" Lonnie had to admit that he held a strange sort of respect for the man, but he had a hard time seeing him as a gatekeeper for formal education.

Monica laughed and explained to the guys that when she was about seven or eight years old, she had a habit of skipping school and hanging out at the Cosmo club. That's where she first heard a piano and had been taught to play by Ches Collins himself.

"It was great. Until Jimmy saw me in there one morning."

"And that's when he lectured you… told you the value of an education, so you wouldn't turn out like him. Right?" Sweet was trying desperately to make some sense out of this.

Monica just shook her head and smiled. "Are you kidding? Jimmy grabbed me by my arm, pulled me outside, and commenced to beating my legs with a hickory switch right in the middle of the street! Then he dragged me to school, threw me inside the front doors and said, 'Now keep your little grown ass in there before you turn out to be a 'ho' like your mama.'"

Lonnie and Sweet roared with laughter. "Now THAT'S the Jimmy Dawes I know." Lonnie said.

The group finished their meal and talked for a while longer. Then Sweet decided to leave so that Monica and Lonnie could spend some time alone.

The couple went out to the porch. Monica stood in front of Lonnie, leaning back against him while he held her with both arms.

"LJ?"

"Yeah, hon."

"I've been thinking about something."

Lonnie turned her around so he could see her face. The expression was serious. He took her hand and led her to the steps where they both sat down.

"Remember when we first talked about me going to North Carolina? And I got mad when you said I should go because you didn't want me to change my life for you?"

Lonnie snickered. "Remember it? I can still feel the sting from the slap you gave me!"

Monica smiled a little, but hid her face in embarrassment. She still couldn't believe that she had raised her hand to him.

"Well, I was thinking about what you said the other day, about the Pinkney case and Chief Gillespie and Harriet Delong. You said you didn't know what you would do if you were Bill's shoes and that you felt that you should."

"I feel real bad for saying that. But it was the truth."

Monica stood up and began to pace around the porch. Lonnie was concerned. He'd never seen her like this and didn't know how to respond.

"That's the thing, LJ. You shouldn't know what you would do. Not yet anyway. You've never been here before, and looking back, it was an unfair question. I shouldn't have asked it."

Lonnie tried to calm her down with a joke. "Is this one of those black things I wouldn't understand?"

Monica smiled, but remained focused. "Actually, it is."

Lonnie's face immediately went back to one of concern and he decided to let her finish.

"LJ, you wanted me to leave for school knowing that you were here, with love for me, no matter what I decided to do afterwards, right?"

"Yes. And I still want that for you, Monica."

Monica gently stroked the side of Lonnie's face. "And I want that for you, too. That's why I'm telling you that while I'm away, I want you to really think about what you're about to get into if we decide to move forward and take this thing public. I want you take a real close look at Bill and Harriet, and evaluate what you see. I want you to do whatever it takes for you to be absolutely sure of us. And I want you to know that my love will be here for you no matter what you decide."

Lonnie thought he understood what she was saying, but he wasn't positive. He took both of her hands and looked directly into her eyes.

"Do you think I'd walk away from you because I'm afraid that it might be too hard?"

Monica was scared, but she had to say it. Lonnie was speaking with his heart right now, and she needed him to be thinking with his head.

"You could."

Lonnie couldn't believe what he just heard. He was angry and turned away from her so she wouldn't notice. Monica grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around and face her.

"Baby, please listen to me. We've managed to create a wonderful little world for ourselves, LJ. No one's in it but you and I. But we're both too smart to believe that our life together is going to be this perfect, and that the question you just asked isn't possible, whether it's your intention or not."

"So what exactly are you saying, Monica?"

"No ties, no lies, LJ. That's what I'm saying. I want you to spend our time apart asking yourself some really hard questions and digging deep for the true answers. I want you to keep all of your options in mind; explore them if that what it takes. And I want you to know that you are completely free to do so, because I love you and want what's best for you."

Monica waited for Lonnie to respond, but he just stared at her. His eyes were almost empty, and Monica was afraid that he wasn't willing to accept everything she had just said. He looked away from her for a moment, and nodded his head, as if he were making some kind of pact with himself.

He turned to Monica again, pulled her back into his arms and held onto to her. He kissed her neck, and then her cheek. When he reached her ear, he kissed that too and whispered "No ties, no lies."


	4. Chapter 4

A Summer Place

Chapter 4

Monica and Lonnie were able to spend one more afternoon together before Friday came and it was time for her to fly back to North Carolina. They managed to sneak in a visit at the trailer when Monica came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they also made their plans for the summer. Monica wouldn't be home until July as, true to her plan, she was going to attend one summer session of classes. During those long months, they continued to write each other every week.

Monica's letters were filled with class schedules, homework, and stupid professors. She also told Lonnie that she had purchased a car, her first dip into the money she had made when she sold all of the antique furniture out of her house back in Sparta. Lonnie wrote about his latest cases. His last adventure was going with Chief Gillespie to New Orleans and investigating the murder of an old girlfriend. It also appeared that the Chief had a 19 year old daughter that he'd never met.

By the time July rolled around, Lonnie had rented the trailer for the entire summer, and Monica hit the road back to Sparta in her 1967 mustang convertible. Lonnie did not like her driving by herself at all and told her so several times, but fighting with Monica was hard enough in person. He didn't have the patience to do it via mail. Monica was driving straight to the trailer and Lonnie would meet her there. They had planned to stay the weekend there before she headed off to the Tibbs'.

Monica was taking her smallest suitcase into the trailer when Lonnie pulled in.

"Hey! Look who's on time!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I decided not to go in to the station at all this time so I wouldn't get trapped. I guess you lost the comb I sent you, huh?" Lonnie responded.

Monica looked upward and gave a puff to blow her hair out of her eyes. "You know, the only time my hair stays out of my face is when you move it."

Lonnie smiled and helped her with her suitcase. He then brought his own bag inside and they kissed each other 'hello'.

Just as things were about to get heated, Lonnie broke away from her and said, "Okay, let's go out and take a look at this car of yours. I want to make sure you didn't buy a piece of junk just because it's pretty."

"You haven't seen me in six months and you want to look at my car?" Monica sounded outraged, but she had a huge smile on her face that let Lonnie know she was joking.

"The car's new. I've seen you before."

Monica laughed, punched him in the arm, and followed him outside to the driveway.

XXX

Back at the Tibbs', Althea and Aunt Etta were cleaning out the guestroom for Monica's arrival on Monday.

"You know, Etta?" Althea began. "I love having Monica here, but I don't understand why she doesn't just rent a room at the Mcguffey House for the summer. I'm sure they'd work out a long-term rate for her, and she certainly can afford it."

"Humph." Aunt Etta grunted. "Ain't no need in her wasting money like that. Not when Lt. Jamison done spent up his money on my trailer for the both of them."

Althea dropped the sheet she was unfolding and stared at Aunt Etta.

"Etta…how did…."

"Child, please. I been knowing 'bout them two since before that girl left for school."

"But HOW? I go into town all the time and no one has a clue."

Aunt Etta laughed hysterically. "Althea Tibbs. All this time you done been here in Sparta, and you still don't know how things work around here. You ain't hear nothing in town because don't nobody in town know nothing. Unless somebody from the Bottoms tell 'em. Which they ain't. You want to know something for your own self, you go to the Bottoms."

Althea began to feel a little irritated. Aunt Etta still thought of her as being uppity, and it got on her nerves. "I do go to the Bottoms, Etta. And it doesn't bother me in the least."

"Sure you go. As a social worker. I gots friends down there, people that I visits wit and talk to. That's different. Anyway, word is we probably gon have us a weddin' here soon."

"Well, just don't say anything yet, especially to Virgil. I know that Monica's 18 now. But we should let them handle this the way they see fit."

XXX

While Althea was talking to Aunt Etta, Virgil was gearing himself up for a personal investigation. He never asked Etta about her trailer. Instead, he sat down, thought about it, and finally figured it all out on his own. Lonnie always seemed to take some time off at around the same time that Monica was arriving in town. He had also been checking the property tax payments on the trailer and noticed that Etta's payments were around those times as well. Lonnie was paying to use the trailer and was seeing Monica there. Virgil was sure of it. What he couldn't figure out was when and how Etta and Lonnie arranged it. He'd worry about that later. Right now, Virgil was about to take a drive to Brewer's Pond.

XXX

"Not bad, hon." Lonnie said as he shut the hood to Monica's car. "When you wrote that you had bought a car, I expected you to show up in a Mercedes or something."

"And have you shoot me for driving a foreign vehicle? I'm not that crazy!

Lonnie smiled. Monica was funny as ever; and she was right about him choking her if she ever bought anything besides a good American made car. He took her in his arms and kissed her again, long, hard, and deep.

"Now that's more like it." Monica said, and leaned in for another kiss. "I love you, LJ."

"And I love you. Speaking of which…."Lonnie broke away from her and went to his car. When he came back, he took her hand, led her to the porch, and handed her a small box.

"What's this?" Monica asked.

"Your birthday present." Lonnie responded.

"You sent my birthday present in April, LJ."

"Yeah, but this one's special and I wanted to give it to you in person."

Monica opened the box. Inside was a small silver charm in the shape of a sun. She looked at inquisitively; she knew it meant something but she couldn't put it together. After a minute, she looked at Lonnie for help.

"No ma'am." He said. "You're the genius. Figure it out."

Monica continued to stare at the charm. Suddenly it hit her. She looked at the trailer, and then back at Lonnie.

"It's for this place, isn't it? Our summer place."

Lonnie kissed her forehead and winked at her, letting her know that she was correct. He then added the sun to her charm bracelet. It danced brilliantly next to the heart he had given her almost two years ago. Then he stood up and held out his hand to her. She took it, and he led her into the trailer, down the small hallway, and into the bedroom.

XXX

Virgil was pulling onto what used to be a road. It was slightly overgrown, but could still be traveled on. There weren't many trailers left at Brewer's Pond, and the ones that were still there were not in livable condition. He had a service map from the courthouse, but it was useless. Besides, Virgil knew how he would know his aunt's property. He followed the old road towards the right and found exactly what he was looking for. An old double wide trailer with a red corvette convertible parked in the driveway. Beside of it was an older mustang convertible.

'_Althea did mention that she had bought a car.'_ Virgil thought.

He parked his car in the small thatch of woods a few yards away from the trailer and walked onto the property. Just as he was about to walk up the front steps, Virgil heard noises coming from the left side of the trailer.

He walked around, stopped under the window where the sounds were coming from. He stood on an old crate and looked in the window.

For the past two years, Virgil felt that he already knew about this situation. But nothing prepared him for what he saw when he looked through that window. It was a small bedroom, with clothes strung all over the floor. And there in the bed were Monica Styles and Lonnie Jamison deep into the act of lovemaking.

Virgil got down from the crate and walked quickly back to his car. He sat there for a few moments stunned. All of his detective instincts had told him that he was right, but no one would ever believe how desperately he'd hoped he was wrong. He was also deeply disappointed in Jamison. He couldn't believe that Lonnie, of all people, could be capable of manipulating a young girl in order to get what he wanted. Yes, Monica was brilliant, but being academically gifted and being emotionally capable are two different things. She was only 16 when she met Lonnie. And Virgil just could not believe that a 16 year old girl was capable of handling a relationship, especially a sexual one, with a grown man.

"Damn!" Virgil screamed to the air and slammed his hand on the steering wheel. Then he started his ignition and drove off.

XXX

Althea had just finished putting the twins lunch on the table when she heard Virgil's car pull into the driveway. She looked at the clock and noticed the time. Seven.

'_I wonder where he's been?'_ she thought.

Just as she finished her thought, Virgil stormed into the dining room.

"You lied to me!" Virgil yelled.

"What!" Althea had no idea what he was talking about or why he was yelling at her.

"Lonnie and Monica. I asked you specifically if the two of them were seeing each other, and you stood right here in our home, looked me in the eye, and LIED!"

Althea threw the dishrag that was still in her hand down on the dining room table.

"First of all, I know that you're angry. But don't ever call me a liar. Ever. Secondly, if we're going to have this conversation, we're going to do it in a calm and rational manner."

Virgil lowered his head, took a deep breath, and looked back up. "You're right. I apologize. But, you did tell me that they were not seeing each other. And I just saw them, Althea. In bed together, at Etta's trailer. Can you explain that to me?"

"Virgil, you never asked me if they were seeing each other."

"Althea, I'm many things, but crazy is not one of them. I know exactly what I asked you two years ago."

Now Althea was getting angry. "Oh? Then I'm sure, Detective, that you remember your exact words were 'are they messing around?'."

"What in the hell's the difference, Althea?"

"Respect? Sincerity? Love, maybe? You made it sound like Lonnie lured the girl into the back of his car with a popsicle!"

"So you don't have a problem with this at all?"

"No, Virgil, I don't. As a matter of fact, I'm happy for them. And I'm a little shocked at your reaction."

Virgil nodded his head and began to pace. "And I suppose that's why you helped Etta rent her trailer to him, so he could sneak off with that girl whenever he wanted to? Or am I asking the wrong question again? I mean, it was you that arranged that, wasn't it?"

Althea raised her head up, put her hand on her hip and responded. "Yes, Virgil. It was me. And I'd gladly do it again!"

Not believing what he had just heard, Virgil shook his head, went upstairs, and slammed their bedroom door shut.

XXX

The weekend went by quickly, too quickly for Monica and Lonnie. They both packed up their belongings on Monday afternoon and were looking forward to Thursday, the next time they'd be able to meet. For now, Monica was going straight to the Tibbs' and Lonnie was going into work for a three to eleven shift. They kissed each other 'good-bye' and went their separate ways.

Lonnie arrived at the station at around 2:30pm. He liked going in early just in case something weird was going on. When he walked in, Parker was looking at him kind of strangely.

"What's wrong, Parker?"

"I don't know. But Virgil wants to see you in his office."

"Did he say what for?"

"No, he didn't. He just said 'tell Jamison I need to see him the second he gets in.'"

"All right, Parker. Thanks."

Lonnie had no idea what Virgil wanted, but he was excited. This usually meant that Virgil was overloaded with investigation cases and wanted to give Lonnie some of the smaller ones to test-drive. Lonnie was dead wrong.

"Shut the door." Virgil greeted him when he walked into the office. Lonnie closed the door and waited for Virgil to continue.

"I'm going to make this short and sweet, Jamison. I went to my aunt's trailer this weekend. I saw you with Monica. And I just wanted to tell you that I think it's sick and that I never thought you would do something so despicable."

"You think it's despicable for me to spend time with Monica." Lonnie's voice was flat as he spoke; he was trying to keep a tight grip on the anger that was rising from the pit of his stomach.

"I saw you two in bed together, Lonnie! And yes, I do find that despicable, especially for a police officer. You're supposed to be protecting her, not using her."

Lonnie's eyes were flashing with anger. "She's a grown woman, Virgil. She's not a child."

"Yeah? What was she the night she left for North Carolina two years ago, Lonnie, when she was only 16? I saw her leave my house at close to midnight and she didn't come back until four. She was with you wasn't she? You were sleeping with her then!"

"That, Detective, is none of your business. None of this is any of your business. What passes between me and Monica is ours, and I'm not about to stand here and explain my personal life to you!"

"Well, we'll see what the city council has to say about that."

Lonnie continued to glare at Virgil. "And what exactly does that mean?"

Virgil sat down at his desk and crossed his arms. "I intend to file a formal complaint against you, Jamison, for Behavior Unbefitting a Police Officer. Maybe you'll see fit to explain your personal life to them. In the meantime, shut my door on your way out of my office!"

Stay Tuned for Part Three!


End file.
